Flex Mami is an iconic Aussie name that conjures up a lot of different images. DJ, MTV presenter, businesswoman, author and now, podcast host.

Flex’s latest venture sees her join forces with actor and talk show presenter Bobo Matjila to chat about everything from racism and mental health to BDSM and cheating. If you’re not listening to it on your morning commute, on the treadmill or in any spare moment you have, you’re arguably wasting your time.

The Bobo and Flex Podcast is like “the self-actualised group chat you wish you were part of,” Flex tells whimn.com.au. “We’re talking about dating, but instead of how to secure a man it’s about how to shed ourselves of the patriarchal standards we use to navigate the dating world. We’re talking about beauty standards, but it’s about decolonising our minds and making sure we’re not subscribing to standards that are archaic. We’re talking about spirituality but we’re not saying religion is good or bad, we’re talking about morality and ethical code.”

While most people wouldn’t touch these topics with a 10-foot pole, Bobo and Flex aren’t afraid to explore themes that are considered taboo. Rather, they’re constantly looking to educate themselves and others, by communicating these ideas in an approachable way.

If there’s one thing I didn’t know about Flex until recently, it’s that she gives seriously ace dating advice. It’s funny, it’s honest and most importantly, it asks you to take a long, hard look at yourself.

How many of these dating terms do you know?

Are you a curver or a sneater? Find out with with very helpful guide to modern day dating terms.

I recently tuned into a fiery podcast episode which had me learning about relationship pink flags. While we’ve been hardwired to look out for red flags and obvious signs of danger, pink flags can be more subtle. But be warned, their subtly and cute pink hue is not an excuse to ignore them.

Flex describes pink flags as “behaviours that are suss, but not suss enough to write someone off. This thing isn't a red flag, its not fully sriracha but more like a rose tone. It's not going to embarrass me to tell a friend about it, but it still makes me feel uncomfortable.”

For Flex, a red flag is a trait you identify almost immediately as a problem, they’re detrimental to your sense of self and the way you see the world. A pink flag is something that might not even register as particularly bad, but it just “makes you feel some kind of way, almost like a pet peeve.”

These are usually different for everyone, but Flex’s include speaking too loudly in commonly quiet places, poor punctuation in text messages and people who rest their ceramics just a tad too close to the table edge (this is next-level reckless). For others it could be a lack of PDA, immature friends, keeping in close contact with the ex or simply the fact that your mum thinks they suck. They could turn out to be a complete non-issue but they also have the potential to develop into a real problem. In most cases, how you handle the flag will determine the outcome.

Choosing to ignore pink flags will likely make things worse, with Flex explaining that a lot of us date simply out of fear of being alone, rather than picking someone who is our equal partner.

“You find that when you illuminate these pink flags, they often remind you that this isn't as okay as you’d like it to be, but your desperation is speaking for you. Neither pink flags nor red flags are deciding factors as to whether or not you should engage in the relationship, but attaching yourself to someone out of fear of being single or wanting to be picked isn't really sustainable either. If there's certain behaviours that elicit a response out of you, it's probably worth investigating them rather than parking it to the side, no matter how banal or rudimentary it may seem.”

Head to toe in blush, baby. Image: Instagram @flex.mamiSource:Whimn

Unsurprisingly when it comes to addressing pink flags, Flex isn’t afraid to face difficult conversations head-on. After all, she hasn’t built an empire by being shy.

“I'm not a fan of bottling things up and stockpiling misdemeanours," she says, adding, "You can avoid all that by acting in the moment and calling it out really quickly."

She says issues arise when we put our prospective partners on pedestals and then six months in, we're dealing with some unsavoury behaviours. What to do then is have a conversation.

"It doesn't need to be attacking them it's just, am I reading this right? Or, you made me feel really uncomfortable in this situation. Just bring it up, real cute, real slight, real easy,” she says.

Now, she has some parting advice to help you navigate your next relationship, no matter what colour flag they're waving.

“Here's the thing, red flags and pink flags are just a standard, but they’re standards you should establish before you even enter into a relationship. Build that metric with yourself and say ‘these are the behaviours I’ll keep an eye out for and these are the morals and ethics that I’ll communicate’. Then, clearly address them before the relationship begins to evolve, almost like a due diligence. I think if you’re able to have a mature, honest conversation, then pink flags and red flags aren’t things, they’re just conversations. You need to know your breaking points, when to persevere and when to gracefully bow out. Do this for your own sanity.”